This here is a one-shot introducing one of my characters who lives in the Gallows. She will eventually make her way into my 'Blood Promise' story. I wrote this because it just kept nagging me, wanting at some point to finally come out, so here it is! The story is rated mature for violence and sexual situations. Enjoy, and the Dragon Age world belongs to Bioware.

Justice is Blind

She was surrounded by darkness, a forever night she would never be able to escape from. It consumed her, caused her to stare at nothing. At a set point her head would never turn from. Her eyes felt like cotton balls, dry and puffy from long cried tears and the unwillingness to blink. It was the fear that if she did, she may miss that precious moment when her world would return to her. When the darkness would end.

It never would. She knew that. But she could still hope.

Sacha sat on her bed, lumpier than she remembered. Hard and scratchy. Something she had rarely noticed before. Now she noticed everything that had to do with touch... taste... sound. Her other senses had become heightened, almost to the point she wasn't sure she would be able to take it. She noticed small things: people walking in the hall outside her room, dripping water outside her window. There was a strong smell of fish and sea water. Funny how she had never noticed it until now. The healer had told her she would get used to it eventually. That it was her other senses working to compensate for the loss. A loss that had been recent.

She shouldn't have been here right now, trapped in the darkness. Sacha was suppose to have gone to her Harrowing. She was suppose to be a full mage of the Circle right now, but that didn't happen. Instead he had wanted to have some fun with her first. Her torturer, the one that was suppose to protect her. Or at least that's what was said about templars. They protected mages, both from themselves and from others. But who would protect the mages from the templars? Maybe no one. Which was likely why she sat there now.

It had been twelve years since Sacha came to the Gallows. She had started her life in Orlais, in a world she couldn't remember. She knew she had a brother. Older, although she couldn't remember his name. He had black hair, same as hers. His eyes were blue, however. A contrast to her brown. Or what used to be brown, now turned milky white. The brown so light that one could only see it if they looked close enough.

Sacha remembered being taken to the White Spire in Val Royeaux, getting separated from her brother at age six. She didn't stay at the tower for long. Eventually, for reasons never explained to her, she was taken and brought to Kirkwall where the Gallows would be her home. Here, although shy at first and scared, she would eventually make friends. Her talents, especially those with the school of spirit, would get her attention and praise from her teachers. It also got her attention from elsewhere, from one she would prefer didn't notice her.

He was a cold man, keeping to the shadows and watching like all templars did. It was their job, after all. His stares, those dark eyes always seemed to bore right into the back of Sacha's head. She could always tell when he was near and when he was looking at her. It made her shiver, and she always made sure to never be alone when he was around. It had worked at first, and all he was were stares, but soon when she began to acquire womanly curves and her talents became stronger, did things change. It began a year before her Harrowing would take place, when one night she stayed too late in the library, buried in a book. She hadn't noticed until it was too late that the two of them were alone in the room.

"Interesting book?"

Sacha found herself stiffen, her heart stopping and leaping into her throat. There was a cold chill that ran up her spine when she heard his voice right behind her. Slowly she turned around to see him smiling down at her. One of his hands resting on the back of her chair.

"Um... Oh, I'm sorry," she said, quickly standing. "I-I didn't realize what time it was. I'll get to my room." She went to leave, willing to leave her book behind just to get away from him. She didn't want to be there. Her room, any other time seeming like a cell, now seeming like her only refuge.

"There's no need to rush." He grabbed her shoulder, keeping her fixed in place. "You're not in trouble. I promise I won't tell. Apparently that book is interesting, yes?"

Sacha looked down at the ground, her heart racing. "Y-Yes..."

He took his hand and placed it on her chin, forcing her to look up into his eyes. They were steely gray, cold and unrelenting. "You're very pretty. Did you know that?"

Sacha swallowed hard, trying to get her face free from his grasp, but failing. He kept a tight grip on her chin.

"My name's Marin, and I've been... eager to get to know you better, Sacha. Ever since you came to the Gallows, I've had my eyes on you. I'm sure you've noticed."

"I... try not to."

"Of course. You mages tend to ignore us templars. It's something I've come to actually like, but I've decided that I want to break that illusion. I'm ready to find out more about you, Sacha. Why don't we take our little conversation to somewhere more private, hmm?"

Sacha shook her head, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. She tried to resist him, tried to scream for help, but no one heard her. No one cared. That night she lost her innocence. That night she was taken by force and learned more about Marin than she would have liked. The next morning she had kept her mouth closed, even when her friend had asked where she had gotten the bruises all over her face. She hadn't told anyone. Not her teachers, not the first enchanter. No one. Marin had warned her that if she had, no one would believe her. She could say something if she wanted, he wasn't going to hurt her if she did. Sacha had thought about it, but she also knew he was right. When it came to these types of things, it was usually the mage who got punished, not the templar. How that was possible, she wasn't sure, nor was she sure what her fate would be. But as time went by, as the years progressed, she couldn't seem to get away from Marin. He stalked her like a shadow. Always close, always just around the corner. Her torturer, her tormentor. The taker of many things, including her sight.

Sacha breathed out, her room cold, stuffy, confining. It was no longer her refuge, no longer the place she felt safe and warm. A place where she could escape from him. Now it was her prison. A cell that he had access to.

She remembered waking that night and finding him staring down at her. She would have screamed, but his hand was covering her mouth. He held her down with his other hand on her hip and brought his lips close to her ear.

"Shh, it's all right," he whispered. His lips caressed her ear while his hand on her hip moved slowly back and forth from hip to waist. "I've come to collect you. Tonight's a big night for you. Everyone's waiting for you to complete your Harrowing."

Sacha stilled, wishing his hand would stop, but knew it wouldn't as it began to creep under her nightgown. She looked into his steely eyes, seeing a playfulness in them that she knew meant he wasn't going to take her to the Harrowing Chamber anytime soon.

"Are you going to be good?" Sacha moved her head up and down the best she could. "Good. That's a good little mage." Marin slowly removed his hand from her mouth, but still kept his other one on her hip, smoothing his fingers over her soft skin.

"Are... are you taking me to the Harrowing Chamber?" She almost didn't ask, knowing what the answer would be, but hoping it wouldn't be so.

"Eventually. I thought we might have a little fun first, hmm?" Sacha looked away from him, already feeling the tears building in her eyes. "There's no need to cry." He brought her face back to his. She smelled something on his breath. The foul stench of ale. "We could do what we always do, seeing as this may be the last night we get together. Or... I thought we might try something else." He sent a wicked smile down to her and Sacha felt her stomach drop. She didn't want to know what he had in mind.

"You see, me and a fellow templar have sort of a bet going. It has to do with whether or not mages can be harmed by lyrium. I say that it can't hurt you mages since you use it all the time to replenish mana and use it to created enchantments-"

"But that's tranquil who do that." Sacha bit her lip when Marin glared at her.

"I know that. But they're still mages, aren't they? Or they used to be. And if lyrium doesn't hurt them now, why would it hurt them when they were mages? So this is what I propose we do... My fellow templar said he'd pay me ten sovereigns if I could prove I was right. If not, I pay him. I'm not paying him ten sovereigns, and you're going to help me with that." The hand on her hip left and went to his side where he reached in a pocket and pulled out a vial of blue liquid that shined on its own. Sacha could hear the liquid singing softly. It was a music that told her he was holding lyrium.

"Do you want me to drink it?" She didn't want to think of anything else he might have her do with it.

"I thought about that." He held the vial in front of his face and stared into its eerie light. "But that wouldn't do. We templars drink lyrium and it does nothing to us, so I think something more drastic will have to do."

"W-What?"

He smiled down at her again. "It needs to be a window into the Fade. Now where do you think the best place would be? The belly?" His other hand moved down to her belly and stroked it, going up and over her breasts. "The heart? Maybe the mouth?" His hand went up her throat and tapped her lips, parting them slightly with his fingers. "No, none of those places will work. But what about... the eyes?" He looked deeply into hers, his smile growing as he crawled on top of her. "Yes, those pretty eyes of yours will work just fine."

Sacha whimpered, feeling the weight of his body pressing her down into the bed. "Please, no." She shook her head. "Don't."

"I need to win this bet. Now hold still." His body crushed hers. His hand pressed against her forehead, keeping it down while his fingers forced her eyes open.

"No, no! For the Maker's sake, please!" Her cries were in vain as he held her struggling body down and poured the lyrium in.

There was instant pain, instant burning that caused Sacha to scream like she never had before. The lyrium seeped into her eyes, going down the ducts and soaking them in a burning prison. Her screams became louder as her vision wavered and blurred. Nothing was recognizable, only blue and on fire. All she could remember was the pain. All she could hear were her own screams. She didn't know what Marin had done afterwards, nor did she remember when she was taken to the clinic. Was the first enchanter there? He might have been, along with the knight-commander and a few other templars, but if they were it was all a dream to her. A nightmare that when she finally awoke from found herself in a whole new world.

The healer had spoken to her softly, telling her where she was. Sacha had panicked when she had woken to find the world dark. She calmed when the healer held her, stroked her hair, told her everything would be all right. It really wouldn't be, but it was still comforting to hear.

When Sacha was ready, the healer finally told her the extent of the damage. She would be blind for the rest of her life. No magic could cure what had been done. Her eyes were damaged beyond repair. The nerves were burned, melted. The lens were completely gone, dissolved. The corneas cloudy and scarred. Sacha took everything in with a solemn expression. She was numb, unsure how to react. Everything was gone now. Not just her sight, but also all her hopes, her dreams. She may not even be able to go through her Harrowing.

As time slowly passed, and the healer declared her well enough to leave the clinic, Sacha was escorted to her room and locked within. It wasn't to protect her, to keep the newly blind mage safe and others safe from her, but because she was being punished. She was to blame for what happened, not the templar who had come to retrieve her. Marin had convinced the knight-commander that while going to get her for the Harrowing, had caught Sacha with a stolen lyrium vial. He had tried to take it away from her, but in the attempt, somehow the vial had opened and splashed into her eyes. It was enough to convince the knight-commander, but not the first enchanter or the healer. They had both tried to argue that the scars surrounding Sacha's eyes now were in a pattern that suggested the lyrium had been poured on, not splashed. But no matter how hard they tried, they were still mages, and the knight-commander ignored them and put Sacha on lock down.

It had been several days since Sacha had returned to her room. Ever since she had done nothing but sit on her bed, staring at a fixed point on the wall, thinking. What was to happen to her now? Would they keep her in here forever? Would they allow her to go through the Harrowing? That was if she even could. She wasn't even sure she could still preform magic. She could still feel her mana flowing, but wasn't sure if she should even dare try and tap into it. What use was a blind mage? If anything, they may decide to make her tranquil. She would be no threat when it came to magic, but would that make her useful? Tranquil were used all over the Gallows for mundane tasks and dealings. None of them blind. All of them useful. Perhaps there was no place for her anymore.

There is a way...

Maybe there was a way. If she could prove she wasn't useless, they may spare her. Magic might not have been able to heal her eyes, but there had to be something out there that could give her vision back. Even if it wasn't the same as before. There had to be something.

"You're one lucky son of a bitch, you know that?" Marin handed Kurt his ten sovereigns. A prize he had been trying to keep from his friend, but tonight impossible as they were posted together.

"I told you, didn't I?" Kurt took the purse and jingled the coins within. "Ah, music to my ears. It's about bloody time you paid up! Took you long enough considering that incident with the mage happened nearly five months ago. So yes, I suppose I am a lucky son of a bitch considering you happened to run across her right after we made that little bet." He pocketed the coins and gave his friend a broad smile.

"I hope you choke on the bone of whatever fat piece of meat you plan on buying with those coins."

"You're so kind, Marin."

"Just frustrated." Marin crossed his arms and leaned himself against the wall. "And not just with our bet, but with the whole thing. Mages, bah! They should be all locked up with the key thrown away. I hate this place. I hate magic."

"Then why don't you request a transfer to the chantry or something?" Kurt looked at his friend curiously. This wasn't unusual, but Kurt could tell Marin was tense, and had been since the incident.

"Because if I go to the chantry, I won't have the opportunity to bash in a couple of mage skulls. It's that type of thing that keeps me here. After all, what better way to work out some tension than to take it out on the mages, am I right?"

"You know it! But what happened to you? What happened to that piece of tail you kept bragging about? Did you get tired of her? Or did she finally find a way to keep you at bay?"

"No one could keep me at bay." Marin smiled wicked. "But no, I've just been too busy to go and visit her. I do owe her a visit, though. Don't want her thinking she's free of me."

"No, of course not." The two templars had a laugh together, cut short when Kurt realized someone else was with them. "Oh blast it. Damn mage." Kurt left his friend and went over to the mage standing in the doorway. She stared straight, not at him, not at anything in particular. "Hey mage! What are you doing out of your quarters? It's past curfew, you know the rules." He stopped and stared at her. "Oh sod it all!"

"What?" Marin pushed himself off the wall to get a better look.

"It's the damn blind one! When did they start letting you roam around the tower again? Hey mage, I'm talking to you! You lost your sight, not your hearing."

"I-I'm sorry," she said softly. "I'm afraid I'm... lost."

"You can't be serious?" Kurt hit his forehead with his fist, groaning.

"Do you think you could... escort me back?"

"Do I look like a bloody escort service to you?"

"I'm not sure what you look like, ser."

"Don't be smart with me, mage! Now get back to your room before I throw you in the dungeons."

"Hold on there." Marin made his way over to where they stood, smiling as he glanced at the mage. "I can take her back."

"I think she can make it back herself," Kurt protested. "If she made it here, she can retrace her steps back to her room."

"Come now, Kurt, she's blind. It might have been from her own doing, but that doesn't mean we can't help her out."

"Really?" This time Kurt looked at his friend more puzzled. "This coming from the man who just said how much he hated mages?"

"I can be generous if I want to. Besides, I haven't seen her in a while." Taking the mage by her hips, he turned her around and gently pushed her forward, all the while smiling at his friend. Kurt chuckled when he finally realized, and nodded to Marin as he and the mage made their way down the hall.

When they got to a secluded, darker part of the tower, Marin grabbed her tight and forced her against the wall. Sacha cried out from the suddenness as her face was pressed firmly against the cold stone. Marin's body was tense against her back, his lips brushing her ear. "What do you think you're doing, hmm? Were you looking for me? Did you miss me? Because I certainly missed you." She felt his hand rub against her backside, sliding up and down. His other hand held the back of her neck, his thumb caressing her jawline.

"I was looking for you," she said keeping herself as still and limp as possible as his hand roamed her body.

"You were? How nice of you. Are you so eager to unite us again?" His breath passed her nostrils. She could smell the lyrium on it along with a strong scent of ale. Naughty templar. They liked to try and make their own version of Aqua Magus. It never seemed to work, and always made their breath smell putrid.

"I wanted to... ask you a few questions."

"Questions? Sure." His lips moved to her neck, slowly kissing her skin while his other hand removed itself from her body. She could began to hear the sounds of armor being unbuckled and being placed gently to the floor. "You can ask me anything."

"I want to know about my fate," she said still staying in place. "You've taken much from me. My innocents, my sight. Do you plan on taking my magic as well? Will I become tranquil, your own personal assistant? I wouldn't fight you. I wouldn't scream. Instead I'd be obedient, doing whatever you wished. Never complaining. Is that to be my fate?"

Marin chuckled into her neck. "That does sound nice, doesn't it? I won't lie and say I haven't thought about it. You would never say no. You could never say no, not to me. But even though it may be fun at first, eventually it would be boring. You want to know why?" His lips went back to her ear and he pressed her body more against the wall. "Because I like the screaming," he whispered. "I like it when you try and fight back. It makes it more fun and enjoyable. If you were tranquil then none of that would happen, even if I asked you to. It wouldn't be the same."

"But I'm going to be tranquil no matter what now. What use is a blind mage?"

"What use indeed!" Marin pulled back her head by her hair and stared into her milky eyes. "You're not going to be made tranquil, Sacha. You will go through your Harrowing just as planned."

"How... how is that possible?"

"Because I vouched for you, is why. Apparently you've been doing very well coping with your loss. You're ability to control your spells has gotten better and the first enchanter thinks you'll be able to complete your Harrowing. The knight-commander thought it was insane, but I was able to convince her that you were no threat. Harmless! For one, what demon would want to possess a blind mage? And even though you stole that lyrium vial, it was only one and I believed you had been punished enough. The knight-commander agreed with me after some thought, and thus allowed for your Harrowing to take place sometime next week. You should thank me for that."

Sacha sighed out, happy to hear she wasn't going to be tranquil. She had been working hard for months to prove she could still perform magic and control it even without her sight.

"You sound happy."

"I am. It's good to hear my life isn't over. That I can continue on. Get past this."

"Yes, and I can help you with that. You may have lost some beauty, but I'm willing to take you back. As long as you promise to be a good little mage and never try anything like that again."

"You can be sure I won't." Sacha placed her forehead to the wall. Marin continued his groping, both hands now on her back, pulling up her robes. "But I won't allow this to continue either."

"You can fight me if you wish, but you know it always turns out the same."

"Not this time," Sacha breathed. "You see, as I sat in the darkness, trying to figure out what had occurred, where my life was going, I knew at some point I needed to stop feeling sorry for myself. I needed to become strong. I needed to find a way to see again. And I did."

Marin stopped what he was doing and pushed himself up enough to look into Sacha's face. She stared back at him, her eyes piercing into his. "There's no way. There's no magic out there that can give sight back!"

"But there is. No one thought to try it since it's... forbidden."

Something moved within Marin's blood. He went to back away, but found he couldn't. His gaze kept to her eyes, now glowing a soft red that seemed to pulse with the beating of his heart.

"I see you Marin. You look scared."

"Blood magic! You... bitch!" He went to grab her throat, but his muscles wouldn't move. He screamed when the burning began, when the feeling of the blood in his veins began to boil. Sacha moved away from him, her eyes still fixed on his.

"I learned I could see with blood magic. I can see the blood rushing through your veins, your heart pumping. I can see it struggling. It's not the same way I saw before, but it'll do. I'm sure with time I might be able to expand, but this is enough for now. I can see your agony, which is all I ever wanted."

"You sodding bitch!" Marin screamed. "I'll have you executed for this! Don't think you won't go unpunished this time!"

"But you said I was harmless. You said I would be no threat."

Marin screamed louder and fell to his knees. His skin began to pop and sizzle, steam curling out from the wounds.

"You are right, however. I really should thank you for convincing the knight-commander to let me go through the Harrowing. If it wasn't for you, then this wouldn't be possible."

There was a last cry of agony, a last cry of pain as Marin's body fell to the floor. His eyeballs had burst, their heated liquid spilling onto the floor. Sacha stood and stared at him for a moment, seeing his blood evaporate into the air before she turned and quietly headed back to her room. They would know what killed him when his body was found the next morning, but Sacha didn't mind. There was no evidence pointing to her. No witnesses—including a fellow templar—would remember them together, or remember her leaving her room. It would be hard to think of her as the culprit anyway. Who would suspect the blind mage?