I don't want to make this description too long, but to clarify, you don't really have to be a big Dragon Age fan to understand, or to hopefully enjoy the story. I am in love with the series, and will do my best to explain things as I write. I am by no means a professional, so there will be mistakes. I'll try my best for you guys! Basically, for those of you that do not know: in the story mages are considered to be evil by a lot of people, but still useful. The templars keep the mages in check, but also are very corrupt themselves. They ironically enough use lyrium to enhance their powers that help fight mages when needed be, but this is also used by mages for their spells. Templars tend to get addicted to the drug, and too much of it can make a person insane. Mages have no free will unless they are apostates, which are mages that have illegally left the circle, or just never were in it. Mages are not supposed to exist outside of the circle, unless they are conscripted as Grey Wardens who fight of the darkspawn and can sense darkspawn during blights. A lot of people fear mages because some use blood magic, which is a form of magic that involves working with demons. This type of magic is forbidden and can lead to demonic possession. Despite this being a big no-no, big-wigs in the circle will sometimes use blood magic if they need it, which is obviously hypocritical. This information isn't relevant now, but it is good to know ahead of time if you are reading this without having played the games. I also am probably not going to use characters from the game series, just Naruto characters instead. I'll update more if I get positive feedback!
It was a bright and sunny afternoon, much opposed to the golden-blond mage that sat in the corner of the library, intentionally avoiding the large group of priests and chantry-men. He'd take a glance at them every now and then, as they were singing hymns and traditional chants that unfortunately were so often rammed down the back of his throat since birth that it left an everlasting sour taste in his mouth. He almost sang along with them out of force of habit but always quickly remembered why he shouldn't.
Why were these people singing about hope and why things supposedly were the way they were rather than fixing them? Did they honestly believe that sitting there and praying to the Maker for change would actually make it? Did they think the blight would disappear from belief that would supposedly purge their sins? Were they that naive?
Perhaps Naruto could understand the people that didn't have a choice in the matter, such as the circle mages that were bound to the tower, but the people that were part of the chantry that were free to leave? It was almost as distasteful as the templars that spent their time keeping mages that could be helping in, rather than fighting off the dark-spawn. Even the mages in the room were likely too cowardly to, even if given the option. Either that or they were too concerned with their own selfish desires and would indulge in blood magic on the down-low.
Each and every person in the room pissed him off in some form or fashion, including himself.
He was angry with himself for being powerless to do a damn thing. Or maybe he was more angry the at the templars for somehow always catching him when he attempted to escape. What did it matter where his anger was directed? Bottom line he wasn't getting out anytime soon, not without a solid plan. Perhaps he could steal supplies from the Tranquil and create some sort of concoction that was strong enough to break the seal on the door that held his phylactery. He was good in potions and dabbled in nearly every subject, but currently did not have the knowledge to create a potion quite that strong. He would have to study on it.
He adjusted his position in the armchair and picked up the potions book he had sat on the end table adjacent to him. He opened up to a chapter that could be of use to him and stuck his nose in it, doing his best to control his attention deficit disorder so he could focus on the text in front of him. The blond picked at the corner of his lip as he read the chapter. The mixtures he read about seemed more focused around fade and demonic barriers that didn't have quite the potency or purity required for a barrier made by the top enchanters.
After a good half hour of looking through the chapter, he gave up, let out an exasperated sigh, and shut the book firmly with his right hand at the binding. He got to his feet and shoved the book in a random place on a random shelf.
"I don't remember you taking that book from that shelf," a familiar, smooth, voice spoke near Naruto.
The blonde swiftly turned his head in the direction of the voice, and frowned. There by the end of the bookshelf stood a pale, raven-haired, man that was clad in the horrid templar armor that the boy always felt livid to see. He even more hated to see the man in particular that was in it.
"What's it to you, asshole?" Naruto spat defensively, giving him his most dangerous scowl, to which the raven never ceased to be unfazed by. In fact, the man wouldn't even look him in the eye, he was always looking elsewhere. As if he were too cool, or better than him to even grace the blonde with standard, respectable, eye contact that any normal human being deserved when being addressed.
Even the likes of a circle mage.
"Your behavior is barbaric enough, and I am still shocked you have yet to be made Tranquil, if I were being honest. You're lucky the First Enchanter has taken fond of you," Sasuke said flatly.
"It pisses me off, the lack of care you have for mages. We are people too, you know! God damnit, you're so callous and have so little regard for anyone but yourself," Naruto yelled passionately, feeling every ounce of hate dripping from his words like venom.
Sasuke was a templar that frequently appeared wherever Naruto went. Granted, he happened to be on guard in the places Naruto liked to go to, but still! He hated his guts, more than the rest. Maybe because he acknowledged him the most, and passive aggressively challenged him the most. He was the only one who spoke to him and basically verbally condoned everything the circle did. He agreed with the corrupt practices it seemed, either that or he just really, genuinely, didn't care. A true neutral.
"You might want to watch your tongue with all these chantry-men around here. You know, unless you want it snipped out," the raven replied coolly.
The blonde scoffed. "The Chantry doesn't control me."
"They have more power than you realize."
The blond gritted his teeth at that, unable to formulate a valid response.
"You know, maybe one day you will be lucky enough to be conscripted into the Grey Wardens. Maybe if you do another one of those incredibly thoughtless things where you make a pathetic attempt at an escape with them here... who knows, you might get lucky," Sasuke reasoned with a snide smirk on his face.
"It's better than being stuck here and doing jack-shit about the blight. Aren't you worried? You could be helping save people rather than being the Knight-Commander's dog and holding mage's leashes. Doesn't that bother you at all?" the blonde's voice began to raise, causing a couple of curious heads to turn in their direction.
The raven paused and for what seemed like the first time, met Naruto's gaze. The blonde stared back with an icy glare, too preoccupied with anticipating his answer, rather than being shocked over the eye contact. Sasuke weighed on the question and didn't respond for a few fleeting moments.
"I don't really care what happens to Ferelden, or the people in it. I'm simply following orders."
As the apathetic reply sunk in, Naruto gaped in disbelief. "Wh-what? You don't have a family? Wife? Kids? What the hell do you mean you don't care? Who the hell follows orders blindly without a cause?"
Sasuke shrugged. "If you didn't know anyone who did before, you do now."
The blonde scowled, as he felt anger bubble in the pit of his stomach. "You are a real bastard you know that?"
"That's not the first time I've heard you say that, and it won't be the last." The raven was unfazed. He didn't seem to have much of a moral compass at all. He also didn't even seem to hate the blonde or anyone there. Granted, Sasuke probably didn't actually like him either, but... there was something eerie about him that Naruto couldn't put his finger on. The raven was too proud to be without purpose. He just couldn't believe Sasuke was under someone's direct order for no reason.
"Whatever," the blonde retorted, not having much more feedback to give. He had another textbook to look for. He almost opened his mouth to ask for help finding one from the raven since he was stationed there, but quickly remembered how suspicious it would sound. 'Hey, uh, there any potion books that tell you how to break through the highest tier barriers of top class mages?'
Yeah, that would go over well.
"I'm going to ask for help looking for a book," Naruto suddenly said, explaining himself for no apparent reason. Did that look suspicious? Shit!
"Why are you telling me as if I'd care?" Sasuke replied, clearly thinking nothing of it.
'Good,' the blonde thought to himself as he shook his head. "Yeah, yeah. Hopefully next time I see you, the stick will be pulled out of your ass."
With that, the cerulean-eyed boy walked off, searching for a trustworthy fellow mage in the room to ask for guidance. Upon looking around he spotted Sakura, one of his good friends. She was a petite, pink-haired, mage that Naruto always kind of had a crush on, even growing up. The girl was a Dalish elf descendant and sported the facial markings and pointed ears to boot. Her figure was dainty and fragile-looking, and she had eerie emerald-colored eyes. Not to mention the girl had lips that were such a plush rose petal pink color that it could make any man melt if they were lucky enough to share a kiss with her.
Naruto had long since given up chasing after the girl in pursuit of romantic affections. It was only understandable after the countless number of rejections and her drooling and gushing about a certain raven-haired male she was "in love" with. Yet another reason why he couldn't stand the cold-hearted pretty boy. Although, Sasuke had only more recently come into the picture several months back when he was stationed there. The man was around his age, so a lot of training must have come with him being able to be a proper full-time templar. Templars didn't grow up at the circle like mages did.
The blonde approached the bubblegum-haired girl and tapped lightly on her shoulder from behind, causing her to jump a little before flipping around and letting out a startled chuckle. "Naruto, don't sneak up on me like that," she chided before diverting her attention in the direction of the raven-haired male a good twenty feet behind them. She lowered her voice to a hushed whisper before speaking again. "Did you put in a good word about me to him?"
Naruto simply rolled his eyes in annoyance. "No, I was too busy getting pissed at him to throw that in there. He's a real ass-munch, what do you see in him?"
Sakura knitted her two, pink, perfectly trimmed eyebrows to match the frown that formed on her face. "Well, he's handsome, gorgeous, beautiful, smart, and I'm sure he has a great person-"
"Don't even say it," the blonde interrupted. "You haven't even talked to him, you just like the way he looks. He's not who you think he is, Sakura, he's bad news. He told me himself that he didn't care about the blight or the people of Ferelden. There's something not right with him."
"You're lying, he wouldn't say that," Sakura retorted, baselessly defending him out of blind affection for the man. "He probably has a reason for saying that, even if he did..."
There was no real talking through to the fiery girl, so the blonde opted changing the subject to get what he had come for. "Anyways, enough about that blockhead. I need your help."
The pink-haired elf perked up at this. "Help? With what?"
Naruto glanced around at his surroundings, making sure no one could eavesdrop before he gripped her shoulders and pulled her further into the corner of the bookshelves. He met her gaze, his eyes unusually serious. "I need to make a potion..." he started vaguely, his tone hushed.
The girl shifted her stare, clearly puzzled by his not so forthcoming way of speaking to her about the matter. "Okay... there are all kinds of potions, Naruto. You're worrying me here."
"I need..." The boy's voice became even lower, if possible as he finished his sentence, "to break the barrier... I need my phylactery. I need a potion to do it, a strong one."
Sakura inevitably disapproved, her face immediately contorting into one of undeniable horror. "Are you out of your mind, Naruto? Trying to escape is one thing, but tampering with the barrier? I mean they're both bad but what you're trying to do will get you executed!" The girl spoke in a hushed, angry whisper, clearly fearing for her friend's life.
"I don't care. I refuse to sit on my ass while the blight is arising when I could be doing something about it. We could be saving lives, Sakura! Women, children, the innocent are dying. Doesn't that bother you?"
The bubblegum-haired girl gnawed at her lip as anxiety flooded over her face. She knew what he was saying was reasonable, but personally, she was scared. It may be safe to say that she was no better than anyone else who was too fearful to leave. If she were being honest with herself, her safety and happiness took precedence over the people exposed fully to the blight. Although... if something didn't change, everyone would be forced to face it, whether they were prepared or not. This was the irrevocable truth.
Moments passed before Sakura was able to formulate a proper response.
"I'll... help you."
Naruto felt surprised, yet relieved by the girl's compliant response. Perhaps she was beginning to understand the severity of the situation. "That's great! First step checked off the list. But... do you think you can actually help me make something like that?"
Sakura nodded. "Yeah, but it will take some time. I have an idea of strong components that may work, but the issue is getting them."
The blonde perked up at the semi-good news. "Well, do you know how you could get 'em?"
"As you know, all supplies for crafting spells, potions, or enchantments are held by the Tranquil. You have to have special access to it and I think I know who you could convince once I get the list."
"Who?" Naruto asked impatiently.
"Hinata," she replied with a smirk. "She has special access because of her relation to Neji and I'm positive she will help if you ask."
"What makes you so sure?" the blonde questioned dubiously, feeling as if it wouldn't be quite that easy.
The pink-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Trust me, she will. I will do some research on this in the meantime. You should go train or something, I'll head to my room after I check out a few textbooks, alright?"
Naruto nodded agreeably. "No sweat, I'll work on my fire magic. It's a little rusty."
Sakura nodded before parting ways with the blonde, trying to seem as unsuspicious as she could. It was only when the blonde was feet away from the exit of library that a familiar, chilling, voice could be heard from behind him.
"I'll be keeping an eye on you, Naruto."
Hearing his name slip off the raven's tongue sent shivers down his spine. And not the good kind where your body shivers from being inspired, excited, or something of that nature. The blonde tilted his head in the Templar's direction. The man's onyx eyes were still unreadable. He didn't look angry or suspicious. He looked the same as always. Perhaps the most perplexing thing about what would likely be a brief and awkward exchange between them was that Sasuke actually said his real name. Naruto wasn't one to hang on every word, but maybe he was supposed to take something from this? The raven was hardly easy to understand. Maybe he somehow overheard him and Sakura's conversation?
Was he gonna tattle to the Knight-Commander?
The thought made his stomach drop. He furrowed his brows and almost opened his mouth to speak before he was interrupted by Sasuke. "Don't bother. You're just taking my advice, right? I have no intention of stopping you. You're not worth the effort. Just don't do anything stupid while I'm looking."
"What...?" The blonde voiced without realizing it. He's letting it slide? What kind of Templar was he?
"If you do anything like that in front of me I'll have no choice but to kill you, really," the stoic templar explained simply, seemingly trying to make sure his motives weren't misunderstood.
He just doesn't care, then? Why would he go out of his way to warn me ahead of time?
'There's something seriously fishy about Sasuke,' the blonde thought to himself, still at a loss for words.
"I... I don't know what you're playing at... but I don't care. The same goes for you. J-Just don't get in my way, otherwise... you might be the one that ends up dead...!" Naruto finally replies in a hushed whisper, sounding just as confident as he felt at that moment.
Sasuke scoffed. "As if you could kill me. Run along before you turn heads, dumbass."
"Y-Yeah? Well up yours!" Naruto retorted a little louder than before, as he glanced around. Arguing with Sasuke was a very common occurrence, and everyone knew it. Having anyone see them talk civilly would be the event of the year, if anything. He had to leave with a boom.
The blonde strutted out proudly despite the confusion still fogging his brain as he made his way to the practice hall and out the library. He took one last fleeting glance back at the ice prince before going down the spiral path.
The mischievous smirk that Naruto was able to make out despite the distance seemed to dance vivaciously at the corners of the raven's lips.
"Oh, man," was the last audible murmur that made it's way out of the blonde's mouth before he rounded the corner, out of sight.