Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age ... Bioware and David Gaider owns all
Spoilers: I suppose the game itself with Reference to The Stolen Throne and The Calling.
Authors Note: I had an idea for another Mage Origin. This time I thought about what would happen if my character wasn't the one to leave the tower. What if she had been a friend of Amell, Surana and Jowan, what would have happened to her in the tower during all the Blood Mage craziness? So here it is. This is Cara's story and what happened when the Hero Of Ferelden wasn't looking, who was saving their ass and didn't realise it. I do take liberties here and I am going to try and make her end up in some pretty stupid situations because of how the game plays.
1. Entropy Mishaps and Càra
Càra looked out the window lost in a dream as she imagined life outside the tower. On clear days the young apprentice could see the shore of Kinloch Hold, she could make out the small buildings, the local tavern and the few little fishermen houses that clustered in the sheltered bay. On misty days there were no small buildings, there were no fishing boats and only the mist and the rain was distinguishable.
Càra sighed as the dream of being able to walk along the little bay and talk to complete strangers to enter their homes and share a meal with them subsided and the clucking voice of her mentor came roaring back. Her attention was brought even more quickly back as her shoulder suddenly exploded into pain.
"Maker's tits!" she yelped and her hand automatically went to the back of her head. Her brain sent deafening signals to her mind of the pain her head had been inflicted with and she turned to see Mentor Kris holding a reed in his hand frowning at her.
"Càra!" he said sternly. "The maker did not give you those brown eyes to day dream out the window and that tongue to curse! Focus and you won't suffer another injury."
Càra glowered at him but she knew he was enjoying torturing her in his lessons. Entropy spells were not her forte, in fact it was the class that she constantly had to repeat every year where in others she excelled or passed with credit. She loathed Entropy and especially Mentor Kris. He moved on to demonstrate the number of spells used to inflict damaging or paralysis and gave them their task of dissecting the process of each one in pairs.
Càra groaned and slipped out from her chair to stand near the far end corner where she usually stood, away from everyone else. In the corner behind her, as with every class, there was a templar standing, watching, observing to see if any of them crossed over and brought through something that would no doubt kill every single one of them. Càra nodded to the templar as she approached and as usual the silver bucket headed man did nothing but stare ahead. Càra wasn't bothered and ever since discovering that no matter what she did or said whilst in their presence the templar's, regardless of their own nature but mainly due to their training, ignored everything she said, unless it was something truly forbidden. She turned on her heel and stood staring ahead watching the rest of the class prepare for the test.
Blood magic, apostates and malificarum. These three things were the most forbidden. Of course there were the other less-death-ensuring acts, such as pregnancy's, practicing without supervision, teaching younger students dangerous spells, flirting with the tin cans, or worse sleeping with one of them. Càra scrunched up her nose at the thought and shook her head, why would anyone be so stupid as to fall in love with a templar? There were only three templar's she knew of that didn't walk around with their buckets on. Greagoir, and she shivered at the thought of the Knight-Commander, Cullen the tower's newbie-baby templar and Quartermaster Gerry; none of them Càra was at all interested in. The majority of the templar's were known by their subtle movements, if any, or there distinguishable grunts in response and very few of them Càra knew by name.
Whack!
"Ah bit na!" she squeaked and rubbed her arm and looked up to see Mentor Kris standing there.
"Well at least you've stopped cursing Càra," he shook his head and ordered her to practice and turned to check on the rest of the class.
"Asswipe," Càra grumbled still rubbing her arm. "Well at least you've stopped cursing," she said in a mocking tone, she scowled at his back and watched the rest of the class continue. "Bloody Entropy, its only so far away from blood magic, don't you think Biff?"
The templar which Càra had named Biff, because Càra knew very of the templar's names except the three bucketless ones for sure, didn't reply but Càra knew he had more than likely turned one his watchful eyes on her. She didn't turn to regard him or even acknowledge what she had said was dangerous. She just shrugged and stretched her arms above her head preparing herself for the inevitable failure of her spell regardless of practice or study.
"I mean, that's what I heard from Amell anyway. He said that Irving had told him and his class in a lecture about," she paused and her lip twisted, "oh what was it," she stared into the sky for a moment as her thoughts collected and tried to find the memory. "Something about the Fraternities anyway," she shrugged absent-mindedly, "something about if the libertarians ever tried to leave the Circle's there would be no way to be sure they wouldn't practice it."
Again she shrugged and began talking utter nonsense to the templar. Many of the younger mages stared at her as she muttered away, no doubt they thought she was mad or running the spell constantly through her head. Càra didn't care, none of her friends were in this class. She flicked her curly auburn hair back over her shoulder and scowled at them until they turned away.
"I'm actually glad I can't do these spells," she announced and frowned. "I mean really who'd want to learn them and then have someone accuse you of being a blood mage. I mean I know you can only really learn blood magic from a demon but honestly I'd rather jump of the top of the tower roof before I tried to learn anything from a demon. That's just stupid, it's a death sentence and I like living!" She was adamant in her sincerity about that and animated jumping off the cliff by gesturing with her hands and fingers a person trundling off and then going splat.
"Anyways that's my thoughts about it and why I should just have this afternoon free everyday instead of trying to learn something obviously the maker doesn't want me to learn. I'm sure you agree with me Biff?" then she looked at him and smiled.
Silence, not even a twitch.
Càra sighed but it wasn't an unhappy or exasperated one but a sigh that helped release the tension she had built up during the class. She glanced back and smiled again.
"See I knew you'd agree with me." She turned and groaned, "Oh here comes the undercover blood maggot himself. If I were you I'd keep an eye on him," she whispered and grinned as Mentor Kris walked over to her.
She was sure she heard a chuckle from the statue but as Mentor Kris neared her practice space she chose to ignore it and readied herself. She pulled a piece of ribbon from her sleeve and tied her long hair back out of her eyes then went about prepping her spell. At Mentor Kris's nod she began to cast a paralyse spell, first she tried to weave the spell chanting quietly to herself in the old Tevinter dialect. Then she tried to concentrate on Mentor Kris as her target for the spell but as usual something in-between the chanting, finding her target and casting out to it, the spell faltered and instead of coming out in a steady stream of magic the spell spluttered and ricocheted off Mentor Kris and back at her. Sensing the danger Càra ducked but not quickly enough to escape the full force of the paralysis. As it hit her she cursed loudly.
"Andraste's fucking drawers!"
She was knocked back across the stone floor hard and instinctively raised a shield to guard her against further damage as the spell continued to dart across the room knocking other students off their feet.
"Maker's Breath Càra!" Mentor Kris shouted, ducking and casting trying to bring in the lost spell. He turned and glowered at her as she tried to scramble to her feet regardless of the paralysis. "When will you learn that it isn't about how well you control the spell, it's about how subtle your movements are!"
"To hell with Entropy!" she spat back, her eyes livid "I told you I can't do it!"
She watched as the spell continued to evade her mentor's attempts to catch it and reluctantly he turned to the templar who had remained in the corner.
"Ser Templar, would you be so kind?"
As the continued screeches and yelps from the spells victims began to fill the room and the other remaining mages scrambled out of the bouncing spells attacks the bucket-head turned to Càra and pointed at her.
"Are you insane!" she looked at him in disbelief. "I could barely control it the first time! You do it!"
The templar shook his head folded his arms and stepped back into the corner leaving the young apprentice to handle it. She stared at him with her mouth agape and then turned to Mentor Kris who had now gone a very bright red as his temper boiled. Càra bit back a comment to call him a blood mage and turned to the flailing spell. She watched it bounce from wall to floor to roof to pillar to mage to furniture, took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She felt for the stray spell and could sense it clearly jumping, trying to escape being caught as if it was developing its own opinion about living. Càra concentrated harder and began chanting another spell to attract the erratic spell to her and no other. As the spell twisted and turned it stopped mid bounce and darted straight for her seeking her out like a missal. Càra opened her eyes and hastily stopped chanting and began absorbing the air around her, gesturing with her hands, and channelled it into a force most of the mages knew well from their templar watchers. A spell absorbing shield. As the stray spell hit the shield it crackled, Càra closed her eyes expecting it to come through and hit her again but the spell turned into nothing but mist around her.
She hesitantly opened her eyes, her arms dropped from shielding her face and she looked around the room. Tables and chairs were in disarray and other apprentices who had hid behind the over turned furniture and pillars were slowly making their way out of their hiding places.
Càra then looked at her hands, clenched them and punched the air.
"Yes! Yes!" she jumped into the air, then spying Mentor Kris jumped over to him. "I told you! I freaking told you! Entropy spells don't work with me! I use Primal and Spirit! I used a freaking low based spirit spell and it worked it freaking worked!"
"Stand down mage!" a voice bellowed behind her from the main door.
Càra paled and her victory dance halted as she knew who that voice belonged to. She gulped and dropped her hands to her side as she turned to face Greagoir. He had three templar's at his side, one was the red-head Cullen but he was looking around the room much like the other two. Càra began to mumble out what exactly had happened but before she could make a fool of herself someone cleared their throat behind her.
"Excuse me Knight-Commander my I speak," asked 'Biff'.
Càra turned, eyes wide, anyone else would think her first concern was that the templar might not speak up for her, Càra on the other hand was shocked that he actually spoke.
"Farhan?" Greagoir clipped. The Knight-Commander narrowed his eyes at the templar but kept his sour expression. "Why did you not stop the mage?"
"I believed it would have been better for her to learn that her actions have consequences Ser." he nodded to Càra.
"Stopping her with your skills would have been sufficient!" Greagoir shouted and pointed to the room. "Look at all she has done!"
Càra hung her head and felt tears brimming but Biff … or rather Farhan wasn't done.
"I understand that Ser but this mage has no skill in Entropy spells yet she is expected to attempt such magic when her mentor knew her skills were insufficient."
This time it was Mentor Kris that felt the brunt of Greagoir's glare.
"You knew this mage was unsuitable for this specialisation?"
"The First Enchan-" but Mentor Kris was cut off by Greagoir grabbing him by the neck of his robes and bellowing into the mages face.
"Did you know she was unsuitable?"
"Y-yes Knight-Commander."
"Well since you are the senior mage and are responsible for this apprentice you will answer for this!" Greagoir roared and set the mage down. "You know that teaching an apprentice without thought or consideration to their talents is dangerous. As a senior mage you of all should know that!"
Greagoir turned to Cullen and beckoned him forward. The young templar obeyed and stepped next to his commander.
"Summon Irving here now I want this dealt with before anything is decided. Carrol!" he shouted and another templar stepped forward. "Round up these apprentices and see if any need medical attention if not escort them to the library. Bryn you go with him." He nodded to the two templar's then set his hard gaze on Farhan who had now stood between Càra and Mentor Kris.
"Apprentice what is your name?" Greagoir asked, a little more gently.
Càra flinched and hung her head low again. "Càra, Ser. Càra Skerrie."
"Well Càra is what Ser Farhan true? Can you not work Entropy spells?"
Càra snorted, momentarily forgetting herself with Greagoir's kind words but the Knight-Commander did not scold her. She lifted her head and shook it. "No Ser, I have been made to repeat this class twice since my time here in the tower, every time I have failed the first examination but have been made to study it."
"You failed the basic examination?" Greagoir asked incredulously.
Càra feeling a little braver, smirked. "Every time I was made to take the test something like this happens, I couldn't even make the tower's mouser stop and fall asleep at my will Ser let alone a person."
Greagoir narrowed his eyes at hearing that the tower's cat had been subjugated to such acts but could understand that the girl had worked hard to develop her skill. To understand the Senior Enchanter's meaning behind allowing the apprentice to repeat the subject year after year would take more than a simple discussion he feared.
"I still do not understand why, Ser Farhan you did not act."
Ser Farhan tilted his head, "I believe that the apprentice would possibly hurt someone on her next test Ser, also sensing where her skills were more proficient I was confident that she would be successful."
"A little flamboyant Farhan!" Greagoir barked.
A few moments later the First Enchanter rounded the corner, Amell in tow and Cullen not too far behind them. Irving shot a look at Càra and she hung her head but as she glanced at Amell the two friends shared a sly grin.
"Greagoir?" Irving asked, "What has Càra done now?"
"Done now?" bellowed Greagoir and he pointed an accusatory finger at the grey bearded mage. "You have nearly failed this apprentice Irving that is what you have done!"
Greagoir and Farhan quickly went over the details of what happened and Càra watched as Irving's expression darkened as he glared at Mentor Kris.
"You were not aware of such things?" Greagoir asked, seeing the Enchanter's dark expression.
"No," the older mage growled. "If I had known Càra would have been given extra classes with Wynne instead. Mentor Kris what have you to say for yourself?"
"Nothing," the mage hissed, "Except that you are all going to die!"
Quickly the mage pulled out a knife and slashed deep into his wrists. Farhan seeing the blade quickly shouted and Greagoir stepped forward, his blade effortlessly drawn from it's sheathe. The mage was slightly faster and threw out a spell at the templar's and mages. Càra screamed and instinctively threw up a shield to protect herself and those nearby but it wasn't quick enough. Mentor Kris narrowed his eyes on her as the mages and templar's were knocked off their feet behind Càra. Her shield surrounded them and strengthened in response.
"You little bitch!" and he threw another spell at her.
Càra kept up her shield and the spell bounced and hit the nearby wall, cracking the stone. Another spell hit and she could feel the shield falter, but none of the templar's were getting up, both Amell and Irving had been thrown against the wall and were lying unconscious. It was up to Càra. She shakily tried to remember spells and incantations but nothing was coming to her mind. Another spell hit her shield forcing her to her knees, the next would certainly breach it, she had to calm down, and she needed time to think! This was not the time to panic!
She heard someone cough to her left and she glanced around seeing Farhan laying there, his bucket helmet thrown clear off his head. Time seemed to stop as Càra looked at him. She was struck at how handsome he was but his cheek had been sliced by a flying piece of splintered wood from underneath his left eye to the tip of his ear. She found herself looking on a much younger face than she had expected, not much older than Cullen but with sleek black hair that was definitely not the standard issue cut. Càra narrowed her eyes and when Farhan's green ones met hers she nodded and turned back to Mentor Kris and time restarted.
"I should have drained you when I had the chance!" growled Mentor Kris and he prepared to throw another spell at her.
"Well … screw you!" Càra growled then summoned the most powerful earth spell she could muster and cannoned the mentor off his feet and into one of the pillars. Càra's strength gave out, her energy spent from keeping up the shield and casting the Rock Fist spell and she slumped to the floor as more templar's hearing the commotion ran in. A few ran towards Càra but she was too exhausted to argue their reasoning and blacked out.
Death at the age of nineteen in the tower, must be a record she thought.
~v~
"And I want two men stationed two doors down the hall," Càra could hear Greagoir say.
She could hear! That meant she wasn't dead! She let herself feel the relief of not dying sink in mentally because physically she couldn't move at all, not even lift a finger she was so exhausted. She groaned as her senses slowly began to come back to her. She could feel how weak she was both physically and in case of mana. She felt she had been slapped by a Templar cleansing spell and then told to run a marathon.
"Hush little one," a soothing voice said. "You shouldn't move you've got to keep your strength."
Càra slowly opened her eyes and winched as the strength of light momentarily blinded her. As the figure came slowly into focus she was glad of the momentary paralysis for if she had the facility to move she would have surely melted. She was sat in the arms of Fahran who had remained near her side since she had slipped unconscious. Her gaze was stuck however, on the deep emerald green gems that were where his eyes should have been. They shone so brightly Càra almost forgot they were his eyes and as her stare tried to tare away to take in the rest of his face she felt her heart skip. He had a strong chin but not too angular, a well rounded face, a nose that helped promote his features and full cheeks with his slashed cheek still dripping blood down it. His hair, Càra thought, was a mess but glancing around the room out of the corner of her eye that was understandable. It was a jet black and longer than it should have been because it stuck out in places and Càra couldn't help but think how it would feel like.
"Miss Càra?" he asked. Maker's breath he even says my name beautifully, she thought.
"Miss Càra, are you alright?" he asked again. His brow furrowed in concern but all she could think about was his slashed cheek and how much it must hurt.
"You're bleeding," she whispered and before he could say anything she placed her hand on his cheek and healed him.
Feeling the warmth on his face Farhan froze and watched her. Once she had finished healing him her eyes rolled back and she fell unconscious again. Farhan heard a tut behind him and turned to see another apprentice, the one who had arrived with the First. Farhan regarded him; he was quite thin and tall with bright blonde hair that was cropped. He stood strong with his sharp piercing blue eyes and Farhan knew that he was one of the most talented mages within the tower and one of Irving's favourites. No doubt the mage would have something to say about his fellow.
"Stupid Càra," he huffed and Farhan narrowed his eyes at him. The apprentice seemed none the wiser to the templar's irritation and went on. "She always thinks of others before her bloody self," he said shaking his head. "I am to show you where her room is so she can rest, Ser?"
"Farhan, my name is Farhan. You are Amell are you not?" the templar replied.
The mage nodded, "Arin Amell," and pointed to the limp body of the mage. "She shouldn't be too heavy, the robes don't offer much in flattery but with Càra they do," he grinned.
Farhan didn't respond but gently picked up the exhausted mage. He was surprised that the apprentice had spoken true she barely weighed anything in his arms as he fully righted himself. Irving and Greagoir approached both thankful that they were only nursing bad bruises from the blood mages spells. Greagoir nodded to Farhan and then looked between him and the two mages and his eyes softened as they fell on the young girl.
"She has saved us this young apprentice, she is indeed strong but vulnerable," he looked at Farhan. "You were right to see potential in her Farhan so I will entrust her into your care. If it had not been for you she never may have helped us discover the blood mage."
"Ser?" Farhan asked, not completely sure what the Knight-Commander was getting at.
"You will watch the mage until she is recovered. No doubt such an event will have an effect on her." Greagoir turned to Irving and both the senior leaders nodded.
"Arin," Irving addressed the apprentice. "I would like you to also keep an eye on her, report to me or Greagoir if there is anything of concern. Understood?"
"Yes," Arin replied but he frowned as he looked between the two leaders. "Is there a risk to Càra First Enchanter?"
Greagoir regarded the young apprentice before looking at Irving and nodding.
"Càra has exhibited powerful skills involving protection against Blood Magic. It is vital the Circle understands how this is possible and if it can be replicated," Irving explained quietly.
Arin narrowed his eyes at the two men. "That doesn't answer my question ser."
"The power behind these skills is very powerful and can kill the mage in question should the mage lose focus. That is why we are having Ser Farhan escort Miss Càra in her studies around the tower." Greagoir further clarified.
"You mean you never want her out of the sight of a templar in case she kills herself?" Arin gasped horrified that the First would agree to this action.
"I would not follow this line of action if her life did not depend on it child. In time she will learn control and in time she will not need the escort of Farhan," Irving reassured Arin.
"Who will tell her?"
The two men were quiet and Arin stared at them in disbelief.
"You want me to tell her?" he gasped.
"It will be easier coming from you child than either of us, we do not want to frighten her more."
"Oh just peachy!" Arin growled then looked at the templar escort and moved off to the door to wait for him.
Greagoir turned to Farhan and nodded before moving off to talk to a few other templar's. Irving remained and gripped Càra's arm gently before he too moved off to deal with the aftermath of the blood mage.
Farhan on the other hand was still absorbing the news that he would be required to watch one mage from morning till end until she had either learned control, be made tranquil or unfortunately died. A knot in his stomach tightened at the thought of this little thing that was lying limp in his arms, which had saved him and his commander, the First and her friend from a blood mage, dying. He couldn't imagine seeing her walk around the tower void of emotion and feeling and her eyes empty either. He looked down at her peaceful face and breathed in a deep breath. Maker help him in his task, he thought and walked to the main door to his waiting escort.