Welcome back!
I've returned as promised with a fresh batch of this written adventure, which I'll do my best to update regularly.
But first of all - a grand shout out to all my new followers/favourites and readers - Welcome, welcome and thank you! It's always exciting to see someone else liking this scribbles of mine . Especially since this is my first attempt to write an epic tale of such terrifying proportions in another language. (TSB part 1 was 100 pages long...O.O ! When/How did that happen!?)
A special shout out to all my regular and new commentators/reviewers on the first part of this story: macramaegoldstar, SNicole25, ClaireBrink, Sherry 205, Judy and Marika Halliwel. Thank you for all your feed back, it was always fun and exciting to read it. I absolutely adore you all. *hugs and cookies*
To the rest of my lovely readers: feel free to chime in with a comment if you feel like it, it's always welcome and appreciated (just please let the criticism stay on the constructive side).
And now it's time for me to stop this gushing feast, so get comfy, sit back, relax and grab something delicious to eat or/and drink and I hope you enjoy the ride. ;)
Isra woke up with a start. The small room she was in seemed vaguely familiar, the walls dull and grey as they were before, but she couldn't remember how she got here. She closed her eyes grimacing in pain. Her head was pounding.
Well. This doesn't seem like the Fade. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes again. The grey walls were still there, looking as bleak as ever. No. Not the Fade. She took another deep breath, gathering her strength to stand up but it left her just as quickly and she fell back on the bed with a groan. She felt as week as a day old kitten.
It felt like the worst possible hang over one could have. The walls were still spinning around her, her head felt close to exploding and her insides seemed unsure as to whether they wanted to stay inside her body, or just make a run for it and escape their fleshy prison.
She blew out a gust of air, staring at the ceiling. The colony of spiders that kept her entertained for the past few days she spent in this small room was still there. She turned her eyes away in annoyance. The spiders can offer only so much diversion, before they become as boring as the rest of her surroundings. She needed to get out of here.
Taking another deep breath she pushed herself of the worn excuse for a mattress and promptly managed to roll herself on the floor, landing with a loud thud. Ow! She closed her eyes against the pain trying to catch her breath. The floor seemed solid enough. No, this definitely is not the Fade.
From somewhere behind her she registered a door opening, with a loud screech that made her wince at the new wave of pain it send through her head.
"What is…" the newcomer's voice trailed off as the answer to that obvious question became apparent.
Isra turned her head towards its source, observing a pair of armoured boots clanking their way towards her. Wincing with every step they took, Isra cursed whoever thought it would be a grand idea to have a metal clad Templar be the first one to respond to her waking up. She just passed the Harrowing, didn't she? There was no need for her to still be surrounded with a group of suspicious guards, snarling and rattling along. She was a member of the Circle now, a mage…her thoughts got interrupted as a pair of hands, lifted her and placed her back on the mattress.
"Hey!" she managed to croak in feeble protest.
"Here."
A small vial of lyrium suddenly materialised in her hand as her guard, helped her sit up on the mattress. She looked at him in confusion. He was an elf. An elven Templar. Isra gaped at him in astonishment, unsure whether she should be more stunned by the vial or the fact that the Templar was not human.
"Drink up. It will help." He turned around towards the small table in the other corner, unfazed by her reaction and proceeded to pour out a glass of water from a pitcher standing there.
Isra gazed back at the vial thrumming with magic in her hand. Apprentices weren't allowed to drink lyrium. Its use was usually postponed for as long as it could be due to its addictive qualities. Responsible use of lyrium being hammered in their minds from the very first time they stepped through the Tower's doors. Even mages aren't completely resilient to it, enchanter Carey used to repeat every single time, he broached the subject.
I guess I really am a mage now, Isra thought staring at the blue liquid swirling around in the small vial. A sense of childish excitment went through her at the thought that she was now finally able to drink it, if she wanted to. The forbidden was not forbidden anymore.
"Go ahead." The Templar was watching her with calm interest, a glass of water in his hand. "The sooner you do it, the sooner you'll be able to get up again."
Isra returned his gaze, lifting an eyebrow in scepticism. A lifetime of hearing about the dangers of using lyrium left her with a certain amount of reluctance when it came to actually drinking it.
The Templar sighed, adopting a patient look of someone explaining the most obvious thing to a simpleton. "You're experiencing withdrawal. The giant amount of lyrium that you were just exposed to during the Harrowing, can be a shock to the body that is not used to it yet. So the headache, the pain, the weakness is just a consequence of that, and similar to alcohol, a small amount of lyrium in the morning after can counter the effects, helping the body recover from its ordeal faster. Fight fire with fire and all that."
A Templar should know about it, I guess. Isra shrugged her shoulders, uncorking the vial. She carefully sniffed the contents. It didn't have any particular smell, but it left her with a tingling sensation in her nose, causing her to sneeze violently.
Well, it's now or never. Croaking out a soft "Cheers" to the Templar, she drained the small vial in one gulp. It was disgusting. She shook involuntarily as it slowly made its way down.
"Here." The Templar offered her the glass of water that Isra accepted gratefully, draining it immediately.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. Now I suggest you get a move on. The First Enchanter is expecting you."
He took the glass from her, placed it back on the table and left with a small nod of acknowledgment.
Isra sighed as he closed the door, leaning back on the wall behind her. Her innards finally settled themselves back into her body as warmth slowly spread out through her. She could feel the magic buzzing inside her, her headache gradually dissipating as it was slowly being replaced by clarity.
"Right." She said out loud, as she finally managed to stand up on her next attempt. She froze into place almost immediately noticing the neatly folded golden robes placed on a chair next to the table. Mage's robes. I guess this makes it official.
She let out a sigh of relief and moved towards the chair to put them on. "I made it."
- o . O . o -
Isra had never been inside the First Enchanter's study before and it took all the willpower she currently possessed to concentrate on what he was saying. Exotic artefacts and unusual diagrams that littered it were interesting enough, but her focus was completely devoured by the numerous books covering the walls. There were so many titles she had never encountered before and her hands itched with the desire to peruse.
"... staff and of course new quarters."
Isra's attention perked up as she noticed the staff Irving was holding out to her. Her first staff. Holding it, she could feel the thrum of magic flow through her, making the hairs all over her body prickle. Everything felt surreal. The Harrowing, the Templars, the fear, the last few days … the loss of her friends. It was one giant nightmare, one from which she felt she could never wake up.
"So…" Isra took a deep breath, looking back up at the first enchanter. "That means it's over, right? I made it?"
Irving nodded reassuringly. "Yes. You are now an official member of the Circle. Congratulations, child."
"I hope that also means that I'm not in the Templars' custody anymore and that the interrogations are over."
"It took some time, but even Gregoir had to admit eventually that there was no proof linking you to Jowan's escape. I am sorry child, for everything we've put you trough in the last few days. You have to understand that with the problems within the Templar Order, the Blight, Anders' escape and now Jowan's, not to mention his use of blood magic…" Irving tiredly shook his head as if he still couldn't believe that fact. "Tempers have been running high and Gregoir was never known to be a calm and patient man."
"So I served as a scapegoat."
"I would never quite put it that way. In spite of his other flaws Gregoir is a rational man and he recognised his own error in the end. In any case your successful Harrowing put the matter to rest. Now you are a part of our community…"
"What do you mean the Harrowing put the matter to rest?" Isra interrupted him, sensing an uncomfortable truth lurking behind that statement.
"You are the youngest mage of this Circle to have undergone the Harrowing. Combine that fact with the circumstances that led to it, I believe the answer is quite obvious. With all that was going on, nobody knew quite what to do with you. The question of tranquillity came up on more than one occasion. Your magic was unreliable and unpredictable, your aptitude for certain schools of magic completely inexistent." He paused, giving her a direct look that held a hint of disappointment.
Isa blushed slightly, focusing her attention on the hem of her new robes. She knew well enough how bad she was at certain types of magic that she really didn't need that fact to be specifically pointed out. Especially not by the First Enchanter.
"Even so, you seem to have impressed a lot of people that spoke on your behalf. Templars, nonetheless. Before he left for Ostagar, Hadley quite fervently advocated against your Tranquility..."
At that Isra gazed back up in disbelief. "The Knight-Captain?"
"… and your mentor, Enchanter Hayes, managed to convince more than one Senior Enchanter to do so as well." Irving continued, ignoring her interruption. He shook his head in what apeared to be an amused disbelief. "All in all, it gave me the opportunity to suggest an early Harrowing as an alternative. With the Blight and so many escaped mages, the Templars are spread thin as it is, not to mention the whole fiasco with that Templar who attacked you in broad daylight a couple of months ago … Gregoir has few he can trust so it would be impossible to keep you under constant lock and key and guarantee your safety at the same time. Especially while the culprits behind the attack appear to still be at large."
"So in short, I became a nuisance and in consequence keeping me alive a problem. The Knight-Commander couldn't risk another attempt on my life and have the mages of the Tower rise up in protest. It was far easier to remove me as a threat, but he couldn't very well throw me out of the nearest window. So his only other two options were Tranquility or the Harrowing in which the odds were stacked against me from the beginning due to my lack of ability and experience in certain magic areas. Which I'm guessing is the main reason it was allowed. It's easier to dispose of a dead body, than to have another Tranquil in your care, especially after the fiasco with Silani." Isra commented cynically.
Irving turned away from her and moved towards his chair. "Not quite." he added after he sat down with a grunt. "It was more a matter of trust. Gregoir didn't want you dead. Whatever you may think of him, know that he cares. He is one of the few Templars who don't see mages as monsters, which is why he still can be reason with… from time to time." He added with a lopsided smile. "What was important to know in regards to your situation in essence came down to trust. You see, the Harrowing is not so much a test of your abilities as it is a test whether you can be trusted with them."
"Why exactly was that so important in my case?"
"I don't think that question needs an answer, given your unique situation in regards to the recent incident with the Templar and your penchant for attracting trouble … I only hope that you learn from your experience and try to avoid repeating those types of mistakes in the future or I'm afraid I'll lose the ability to interfere on your behalf. Gregoir is upset as it is at the fact that you got 'rewarded' with the Harrowing and Mica got a leaner punishment in comparison to the Initate." He shook his head mournfully. "The whole thing was an unfortunate affair."
"Mica?" Isra hadn't dared to ask about the fate of her best friend throughout the whole interrogation process. "Is he all right?"
"As much as one can be in his case. I managed to convince Gregoir that a couple of weeks of isolation in the Tower's cells would be enough of a punishment."
Isra let out a relieved sigh. Thank the Maker he's all right. "May I … see him?"
"You know that's currently out of the question, child." Irving sighed wearily. "It will be better for everyone if you stay away from your friend for now, to ward of suspicion of your involvement with Jowan's escape."
"Of course, I understand." Isra nodded slowly, trying her best to hide her disappointment. "So… what happens now?"
"As a Mage, you're now an official member of this Circle. That title offers you at least some protection - which was also one of the key reasons that worked in favour of you undergoing the Harrowing as soon as possible - it's a lot harder to attack a Mage in the middle of the day and get away with it. As the youngest member of the Circle you're not yet expected to take up any of the more difficult responsibilities, however we can't have you walking around and doing completely nothing. You'll continue to study in the meanwhile until I deem you ready to be fully integrated as a fully-fledged member of the Circle. However, since your life might also potentially still be in danger I expect you to concentrate your efforts primarily into staying out of trouble and as inconspicuous as it is possible until all of the perpetrators are found and dealt with."
"You don't need to warn me about that. I made a promise to Hadley to keep my nose out of trouble and I intend to keep it."
"Good. The rest of the day is yours, child. Passing the Harrowing is a magnificent achievement, if not downright the most important one in a mages life, so perhaps a little celebration is in order." He finished with a warm, encouraging smile.
A quaint idea, Isra thought bitterly, if only I still had at least one of my friends here to celebrate with. With Jowan on the run, Mica locked up and Silani a tranquil somewhere in the Kirkle's Circle, keeping Karl company, she was completely alone. To top it all of a man she considered the closest thing to her father, Enchanter Hayes was down in Ostagar, probably getting eaten by Darkspawn at this very moment. Consequently she didn't really feel like celebrating in the first place.
"Ah! Clea." Irving exclaimed, interrupting her dark musings. "You're just in time. This is our newest Member of the Circle I was talking about. Would you please escort her to her new quarters?"
Isra turned to see a young, black haired mage enter Irving's study whom she recognised immediately. Even though Clea was a couple of years older than her, the fact that she was one of the most beautiful women that lived in this Circle made her a hard to miss in the Circle's throng of mages.
"Of course First-Enchanter." Clea answered with a polite smile, and a nod towards Isra. "Follow me."
Isra took her leave and followed her new guide. The First Enchanter had a funny way of helping her stay inconspicuous. Being in Clea's company was a sure way to guarantee she remained completely unnoticed to any, if not all casual observers.
"So you're the youngest mage to successfully complete her Harrowing in this Circle…"Clea commented as soon as the door closed behind them. Her dark eyes slowly taking in her measure. "Interesting."
"How so?"
"It's just unexpected. You're so…unremarkable."
"Not if you ask the Templars, I'm not."
"I've heard." Clea answered with an amused smile. "In any case, I'm your new room-mate. I'm sorry to say that we have the rare privilege of a shared accommodation. I've been trying to get myself a private room for years, but with no success. I doubt you'll have any either, especially considering the fact that you've probably got a few crazy Templars on your tail. I guess the First-Enchanter hopes they won't try an attack as long as there is someone else around. Strength in numbers and all that. I hope you don't snore."
"I could ask you the very same thing. But no, I don't." Isra added as an afterthought. Her new room-mate sure was very talkative...
Clea's smile widened at Isra's answer. "Well, I don't either, so we'll get along just fine."
"One can only hope."
"And here we are." Clea said only few moments later, as she stopped in front of a door that supposedly lead to their quarters. Isra stood in disbelief, staring at the door in front of her. "Your bed is at the end."
"The end? You mean Karl's room?" Isra managed to ask after she found her voice.
"Oh, you knew him? Yes, it was his room. But I suppose it's yours now."
"He was my mentor, for a short time." Isra replied evenly. "I visited him a couple of times… before he was sent to Kirkwall." And I guess this means he is not coming back any time soon.
"Oh, of course. Well, you should feel right at home then. I've just been transferred here from the shared quarters upstairs. They ignored my application for a private room. Again. " Clea added, not hiding her annoyance. "Well, anyway. I have a couple of things that need doing and they won't get done without me."
"Right. Anyway, thank you for the escort…" Answered Isra with a polite smile, which froze on her face as she noticed a certain figure standing a few paces behind Clara. "Excuse me. I need to…have a few words with… my guard."
"That's him?" Clea asked as she turned back to check out the figure in question. "Looks kinda young. Oh, well." She added with a shrug. "I guess age doesn't really matter as long as he is effective at his job. In any case, have fun! Oh, and the First-Enchanter told me to warn you to avoiding roaming around the Tower without at least some company that you know you can definitely trust. In any case, see you later!" Clea finished with another smile and a wave, returning back in the direction they've come from.
Isra approached him with a shy smile as soon as her new room-mate was out of hearing. "Cullen." His replying smile made her knees a little weak. Is it possible that he actually got better looking during the last few days? "You're returning to your body guard post again?" She prayed the hopeful note in her voice was not too obvious.
He shook his head in negative, his smile dissipating a little. Was that a twinge of regret, she saw? "No. I only wanted to…uh, see if you're…alright? "
Isra felt her heart melt a little in reaction to his query. "As all right as I can be, I guess. Considering everything that's happened." She replied in a quiet voice, looking down at her feet. There was no way she could mention the last few days to a Templar and not feel at least a little bit uncomfortable about it. She was in their custody not too long ago after all, and the experience wasn't particularly pleasant.
"Th-they picked me as the Templar to strike the killing blow if… if you became an abomination."
Isra looked up at him, surprised at the sudden change of subject. "Oh." She didn't really know how to respond to that kind of statement. My condolences? "Uh…I see. Would you've …done it?" Well this was becoming rather awkward…
"I would have done my duty. Even if I'd feel terribly about it in the end … I-I'm just glad it didn't come to that." He added with a sheepish smile, looking anywhere else but her.
"That's all right." Isra replied with a smile of her own. Her heart was beating awfully fast. He cared. At least a little. "I understand. I…I'm just glad it was you. W-would be you… Instead of some other Templar."
He seemed surprised. "O-oh?"
"I mean… I trust you. And I know that if you had to do …. that. You'd be quick about it. Gentle. Right?" Oh, Isra you fool, just stop talking! She felt a blush coming on.
Thankfully he had the decency to blush, which made the awkward conversation a little less… awkward. Embarrassment is a great equaliser, Isra mused to herself. "I would. I'd never let you suffer."
Isra's breath hitched. In a weird way this was the most romantic exchange she had ever had. "Right." She said barley, stifling down a giggle. She needed to escape, before she'd say or do something that would embarrass her even further. "Well…it was good to see you."
"You too." He answered with another one of his smiles that came dangerously close to melting her insides into a giant pile of mush. "I…uh." He seemed to fidget a little as he looked around, probably to check if anyone else was watching them. No one was. They were completely alone Isra noted, as did her heart which decided now was the best time to pace up to a dangerous rate.
Apparently coming to the same conclusion as she did Cullen reached into his robes, pulling out a small parcel and presenting it to her, all the while blushing furiously. "I ...uh… brought you something. I-I mean…c-congratulations. On passing your Harrowing."
Isra felt her heart stop for a few moments. Their hands brushed for the shortest moment, as she took the proffered gift, his touch sending chills down her spine. An old warning from her friend Silani suddenly started to chime repeatedly in her thoughts. Don't fall in love with a Templar!
"T-thank you." Isra barely managed to reply, her voice escaping her. The only thing that warning managed to achieve was to leave her feeling angry at herself. It was too late. Definitely too late. She cleared her throat, her cheeks close to bursting out in flames. "I-I… have to go."
She didn't wait to hear his reply. Clutching his gift to her heart, she escaped to her new quarters, shutting the door behind her. Unfortunately she couldn't shut out her turmoil as easily as she did him.
Taking a deep breath to cool herself down she slowly proceeded towards her private partition, careful not to disturb anyone and draw more attention to herself than she already had.
The small partition that was to be her new home was completely devoid of life, the last of Karl's possession cleaned up and moved away, leaving behind a strong sense of desolation. She sat down on her new king-sized bed, letting out the breath she'd been holding the whole time. "Well…I'm off to a fantastic start."